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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26083981">Into The Light</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaLeigh/pseuds/BellaLeigh'>BellaLeigh</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Saving Hope (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:22:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26083981</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaLeigh/pseuds/BellaLeigh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A 3-shot showing Joel's, Charlie's, and Alex's deaths</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joel Goran/Alex Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Into The Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joel was shoving supplies into a ready bag, while Zach did the same on the other side of the room. They had to be prepared for anything, because the med tent on the army base wasn’t going to have much in the way of supplies. Zach finished first and walked over to where Joel was grabbing almost anything he could find into his bag. “You need one of these?”</p>
<p>Joel barely glanced over at him. “Yeah mate.” It didn’t much matter what it was. If Zach thought he might need it, he was taking it. Though, there were a few things he definitely knew he was going to need. “And, can you get me a field trauma kit and an intubation pack?”</p>
<p>“I’m on it.”</p>
<p>“I saw Alex earlier today, she looks like she’s ready to pop.”</p>
<p>Joel bit back a chuckle at the seeming non sequitur, as he lifted his bag onto his shoulder “I don’t know if this has anything to do with my father getting sick recently, or whatever. But, for some reason, I just feel ready.” And he did. He still didn’t know if it was even his baby, but he still hoped it was. And he was definitely feeling ready for fatherhood. He truly believed that everything was going to be okay. That it would turn out to be his baby, and the three of them would be a family. Okay, as fun as that fantasy was, he had to admit the slight chance it could turn out to be Charlie’s baby, and the four of them would be a somewhat dysfunctional family. But, this was his fantasy, and he was going to let it be the way he wanted it. And Alex was going to ace her boards, today. And all would be right in their world.</p>
<p>“Well, for what it’s worth, we’ve got you winning the paternity pool.”</p>
<p>He ignored that, not really wanting to encourage them voting on his life like that. “We’re good to go, right?”</p>
<p>Zach gave him an incredulous look. “Dude, you cut off a leg with a pair of bolt cutters. I’m not too worried.”</p>
<p>They passed Alex in the hall. She looked stunning, and all he could do was stare. “Wow.”</p>
<p>She laughed. “I feel like a parade float.”</p>
<p>“<span>A beautiful parade float.” Okay, perhaps not the smoothest thing to say, but considering she had literally taken his breath away, he was impressed that he got out a coherent sentence. “Hey, good luck today, with the, uh, boards, okay?” </span><em>Yeah. Real smooth, Goran. You sound like a teenager on his first date. So much for coherent sentences. </em></p>
<p>“Thanks. It’s pretty nerve-wracking.”</p>
<p>He knew that very well himself. “Yeah, I remember mine. I threw up in the car on the way there.” Why had he told her that? Okay, he was trying to reassure her. Of what, he wasn’t sure. Maybe that being nervous was normal? But, if there was anybody who he really didn’t think needed to worry about it, it was Alex Reid.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m pretty much guaranteed to do that.”</p>
<p>“Pretty much.”</p>
<p>She laughed again, and he just stared at her. Taking in her beautiful smile. How happy she looked. He couldn’t wait to celebrate with her. Take her out to dinner. Finally ask the question he had put off asking before because she had been upset when he was going to. She was already dressed for it, after all. Though, it was probably going to take a lot of work to get him looking like he belonged there with her.</p>
<p>They turned away from each other, then. They both had places they needed to be. He had a life to save, and she needed to make sure she could keep on saving lives. But, as he got to the end of the hallway, he couldn’t help turning around and calling out to her. “Hey, Alex. You’re golden.” It was nowhere near everything he wanted to say. But he’d say it all tonight.</p>
<p>
  <b>~Into The Light~</b>
</p>
<p>The helicopter landed, and Zach and Joel got out and grabbed their bags. They were greeted by a man who introduced himself as Captain Isaac, and a woman named Corporal Britt Delkus, who was the field medic.</p>
<p>Once Joel and Zach introduced themselves, Captain Isaac wasted no time in taking charge of the situation. Then again, he was an army captain, taking charge of situations was literally his job. “Turn off your phones please, gentlemen.”</p>
<p>“What for?”</p>
<p>It was Corporal Delkus that answered him. “Safety. They can trigger an explosion.”</p>
<p>Okay, didn’t need to tell him twice. Triggering an explosion was pretty much the opposite of what he wanted to do. “Yeah.” He reached into his pocked and turned his phone off, while Zach did the same.</p>
<p>Captain Isaac took over the explanation, then. “So, here’s what’s going on. We were doing some weapons familiarization. And a mortar went astray. We hope it doesn’t detonate before you guys can get it out of him.”</p>
<p>Zach’s eyes were wide. “This kind of accident happen often?”</p>
<p>“No. That’s why you’re here.”</p>
<p>Corporal Delkus handed them both flak jackets and helmets. “Put these on, please.”</p>
<p>As they did so, Captain Isaac continued their briefing. “We got more people coming, but you’re here first. Corporal Delkus is gonna take you guys in.”</p>
<p>Joel put the jacket and helmet he was handed on, then bent down to pick up his bags, again. “So, what exactly are we dealing with here, guys?”</p>
<p>“Single casualty, male, 28. He’s in class 1 hypovolemic shock, but I’ve managed to stabilize him for a bit. I’ve given him two amps of morphine, and we’re doing what we can to keep him warm.”</p>
<p>Of course, that was just the medical assessment of the patient’s condition outside of the actual problem. “Whoa.” That might have been Zach’s words, but Joel had to agree that it did a pretty good job of summing up the situation.</p>
<p>Their patient was laying on the ground, awake and alert, with a mortar shell sticking out of his abdomen. Yes, they had known going in that this was what they would find. But, hearing about it and seeing it were two very different things.</p>
<p>“It’s an unexploded 81 millimeter mortar round.”</p>
<p>They stood there in shock and stared for a minute. It was all they really could do, at first. They needed time to process what they were seeing, here.</p>
<p>The patient lifted his head and looked at them. “We’re all just waiting for this thing to go off.” And then he put his head back down.</p>
<p>Joel just turned his head and looked at Zach. This was going to suck. But, seeing this man seemingly resigned to his fate somehow made everything worse.</p>
<p>Well, before they could do anything, they needed a better assessment. And, while they were thinking, it couldn’t hurt to keep the patient talking. He knelt down. “So, how exactly did this thing land on you?”</p>
<p>“Best guess? Leg of the tube gave out and misfired, and the shoulder of the mortar ricocheted off something.”</p>
<p>Joel sighed. “Can you give us a second? We’re gonna figure this out.” Because he was not going to let this man die here. Not on his watch.</p>
<p>The three doctors all stood up, and walked a few feet away. Corporal Delkus asked the question they were probably all thinking. “So what’s our move?”</p>
<p>“Hop him back in the chopper, take him to the O.R.”</p>
<p>“That’s not going to happen. He’s gonna bleed out.” To say nothing of the fact that if something were to go wrong in the O.R., a whole lot of people could die. But, he wasn’t going to mention that.</p>
<p>“Well, we can’t wait for the cavalry to arrive.”</p>
<p>“No. I mean, I can tie off a few of those bleeders, get a better idea of how that mortar’s positioned in there.”</p>
<p>“Call the bomb guy.”</p>
<p>“Exactly.”</p>
<p>Which, in a moment of horrific, bitter irony, their patient raised his hand. “I’m the bomb guy.”</p>
<p>“You’re what?”</p>
<p>“I’m the platoon’s combat engineer. Explosives are my thing.” Of course he was. Actually, it explained how he had such a detailed idea of what had gone wrong. Preparing for those kinds of things going wrong was part of his job.</p>
<p>“You know how to defuse this?” That could actually be a small ray of hope in this.</p>
<p>“If it wasn’t stuck in my gut. The detonator’s on the tip. If you can pull it out, I can unscrew it and pull out the fuse.”</p>
<p>“Excellent. Um, well, this, uh… should be interesting.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. We’re uh——it’s all good.”</p>
<p>“So, what’s your name, soldier? I usually like to call my patients by their first name. I’ve found it puts them more at ease.”</p>
<p>“Makes them feel like they’re a real person to you, right? I’m Marcel.”</p>
<p>“Well, Marcel. I’m Dr Joel Goran. You can call me Joel or Dr Goran, whichever you’re more comfortable with.”</p>
<p>Zach also introduced himself, and then they got to work. After several minutes spent just trying to stop some of the bleeding so that he could see what he was actually working with here, he decided it was time to get Marcel talking, again. They needed to keep him alert. “How did this thing hit you and not explode?”</p>
<p>“I guess these rock-hard abs weren’t enough to trigger it.” Joel had to hand it to the guy, he had a sense of humor. There was actually something to be said for his ability to make light of the situation.</p>
<p>And then Zach asked the question that Joel wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to. “So, we’re good——it won’t go off as long as we don’t drop it when it comes out, right?”</p>
<p>“No. It’s armed. It’s ready.” Well that was definitely not the answer he wanted to hear.</p>
<p>“What do you mean it’s armed? What could trigger this?”</p>
<p>“It’s a pressure detonator, so a twig could trigger it. Just hitting it with something could trigger it. Sparks.”</p>
<p>This whole situation just kept getting better and better. The person with the best knowledge of how to defuse the thing was the one in the least position to actually do so. And just about anything could make it explode. Perfect.</p>
<p>“It’s designed to explode.”</p>
<p>“If it hasn’t, you’re waiting. Go slow quickly, if you know what I mean.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be as gentle and as fast as I can. We just need a little, dumb luck.” He started removing the surgical tools from around the mortar.</p>
<p>“You are pretty dumb.”</p>
<p>“I’m also lucky, mate.”</p>
<p>After a few minutes, he had a pretty good look at what they were dealing with. It was now or never. “Okay, I think we’re ready to lift this out.”</p>
<p>“You should let me do that.”</p>
<p>“No, no, I——no, I got a good feel. And, uh, I think it’s tamponading some arteries in there. Be aware that this thing is gonna bleed like crazy.”</p>
<p>“I’ll stabilize the pelvis.”</p>
<p>“On three. One… two… three…” He started to pull up on the mortar, which didn’t seem to budge. All he was doing was causing Marcel pain. “Okay, stop. Stop. Okay.”</p>
<p>He stuck his fingers into the wound and felt around. And realized the problem. Shit! “Damn it. It’s embedded in the pelvis.”</p>
<p>“Wh-what does that mean?”</p>
<p>“I-it’s stuck in your bone, Sarge.”</p>
<p>“The iliac wing, to be specific. That’s the, uh, bone that curves around your pelvis.”</p>
<p>“Can’t pull it out?”</p>
<p>“No. I need to get in there with some tools. Chip away the bone.” Why couldn’t this poor guy catch even one small break?</p>
<p>“Can you do that here?”</p>
<p>“No. We have to move him.” And how they were supposed to do that without setting off the mortar was a very good question. But, he wasn’t going to just leave him here to die. They had to do something.</p>
<p>
  <b>~Into The Light~</b>
</p>
<p>It took four people, moving as carefully and as quickly as they could, to transport Marcel to the med tent. But, somehow they got him settled in without hurting him more——or exploding that mortar.</p>
<p>Zach got him some more morphine, just trying to take the edge off.</p>
<p>“I’m so high. I keep seeing my son’s face. It’s like he’s saying ‘hang in there, daddy. Hang in there.’” Perfect. He had a kid. Well, the bright side was that he had something worth fighting for. If they managed to get that damn mortar out of him without blowing them all to Hell, his son just might give him the drive to survive the surgery to put him back together again.</p>
<p>“How old’s your boy?”</p>
<p>“He’s three.”</p>
<p>“Yeah? I got two boys myself. Nine and twelve.”</p>
<p>“I can’t wait for that age.”</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s the best, you know? They’re out of diapers. You can get them to wash your car.”</p>
<p>
  <span>Joel wanted to laugh at the banter between the two men. Though, part of him wished that he could join in on it. Personally, he was just looking forward to finally holding his son in his arms. Okay, and finding out for sure if he even </span>
  <em>was</em>
  <span> his son, but he tried not to think about that, too much. But then Marcel groaned in pain.</span>
</p>
<p>“Crank his morphine.”</p>
<p>“I do want to keep him breathing.”</p>
<p>“Hey. I’d like that, too.”</p>
<p>“Marcel, I have to operate, and we do not have anesthetic.”</p>
<p>“He’s going to be cutting into your bone. This is going to hurt.”</p>
<p>“You so much as twitch, yeah?” Nothing like operating on a patient who is awake, when that patient moving could kill them all. Zach had joked about him amputating a leg with bolt cutters, but at least then only one life hung in the balance.</p>
<p>“So, what’s the plan, Stan?”</p>
<p>“Gonna drill four holes, Chisel under the bone, pull this bad boy out of your pelvis.”</p>
<p>“That’s a terrible plan.”</p>
<p>“It’s all I got.”</p>
<p>“Good luck.” Yeah… They were all going to need a healthy dose of luck.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, he had drilled two of the holes he needed, but couldn’t get an angle for the other two. But, maybe if he came at it from the other side. “This setup is so awkward. Do you wanna… let’s switch.”</p>
<p>He was getting less and less sure he could actually get this thing out without it blowing up. There wasn’t going to be any saving Marcel or himself if the worst happened, but there was no reason for all three of them to die. “Hey man, I think I can handle this on my own.”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about? I’m in my element here.”</p>
<p>“You have two kids.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I don’t want to die, but neither do you.”</p>
<p>“It’s not worth the risk for you, okay? You’re a father.” Okay, he was still hoping that so was he, but… He had to trust Charlie, now. If he didn’t make it back, he had to trust that Charlie would love that little boy and take care of him no matter who his father turned out to be. And, he actually did. There were a lot of things he didn’t like about the guy, but he had every confidence that he would step up, no matter what.</p>
<p>“So is he. I’m not leaving him.” Stupid, stubborn, idiot.</p>
<p>Well, he had tried. Now to get back to doing his damnedest to make sure they all made it out of here, alive.</p>
<p>And step one of that was to get his own mobility back. He couldn’t work in that damn flak jacket. It was too restrictive.</p>
<p>Not that Marcel liked that plan, one bit. “No.” He reached out, trying to stay Joel’s hand, and keep him from taking his jacket off.</p>
<p>“I need to move.”</p>
<p>“Don’t take that off.”</p>
<p>“I have to take it off, Marcel.”</p>
<p>“You can’t——”</p>
<p>“Hey. I can’t move in that thing, all right?” He held Marcel’s hand in his left hand, and held his right hand out. “Okay, look. Steady as a rock.”</p>
<p>And then Zach held Marcel down while Joel finished drilling. Well, step one was out of the way. Now for the hard part.</p>
<p>Joel picked up a chisel and small hammer, and watched Marcel’s eyes widen. “Is——is there any other way to do this?”</p>
<p>“Not that I know.”</p>
<p>“Don’t… touch… the detonator.”</p>
<p>“We won’t.” No, touching the detonator would be bad. It would be game over, actually. He got to work. It actually only took a few hits, before it seemed to be done. “Okay, the bone seems to be separated all around the mortar, there. What about your side?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s all good.”</p>
<p>Okay then. He took one more look around the wound, not wanting to start pulling on this thing until he knew for sure he would get it. “Ah damn it. No, I missed a spot on the end.” He picked up his hammer and chisel and hit at the bone one more time.</p>
<p>And hit a vein. “We’ve got a bleeder.”</p>
<p>Zach started reaching for gauze to pack with, but Joel shook his head. “No, he’s lost too much blood. Get me two units of O-neg, fresh plasma, and hemoclips please.”</p>
<p>Zach reached over and showed Joel the half empty bag on the I.V. stand. “This is all the blood we have.”</p>
<p>“I’m also worried about his stability for transport right now. We pull this thing out, he’s gonna need vasopressors. He’s gonna need something to maintain his coagulation.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>“Exactly. Thank you.”</p>
<p>He listened for the sound of the jeep pulling away, while he worked on repairing the bleeder, that actually had looked much worse than it was.</p>
<p>“You faked that. You’re not gonna wait, are you?”</p>
<p>He shook his head. “No.”</p>
<p>“What, you got a death wish or something?”</p>
<p>He thought of Alex. Of the ring he had bought. Of the baby she was carrying that he fully believed was his. “Not any more, man. I’m in love with someone. I think I might be a father.” He moved the gauze aside, giving him a better view. “You ready?”</p>
<p>Marcel reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of dog tags. “These dog tags… belonged to my buddy. I keep it for good luck. Not that I don’t trust you, but… You know, just in case. You need to give it to his family.”</p>
<p>Joel smiled at him. “I’ll tell you what.” He reached up and pulled the chain that held his St Jude’s medallion over his head. “An empty pocket’s bad luck. You take that.” He handed it to Marcel. “We’ll trade them back after. When this is done. Okay?”</p>
<p>He pulled the gauze and all of the tools that weren’t there to control the bleeding out, and then looked at Marcel. “Moment of truth.”</p>
<p>“I’m ready.”</p>
<p>Joel took a deep breath, and then started pulling on the mortar as gently as he could. He needed to twist and wiggle it. It was both nerve-wracking for him, and——unfortunately——painful for Marcel. “Try to keep it still, Marcel.”</p>
<p>And then, one good pull later, it was out. He breathed a sigh of relief. But, they weren’t out of the woods, yet. He held the mortar with one hand, and tossed gauze into Marcel’s wound with the other. “Marcel, hold these——hold these against your wound. Tight, buddy, tight.”</p>
<p>Now to find somebody that could do something about this mortar. Marcel had said he could do it, but the man was just this side of being in shock. And he was still Joel’s patient. He needed to make sure he was okay. He cradled the mortar in both hands and walked out of the tent, as slowly and gently as he could.</p>
<p>The tent was surrounded by people, all standing a safe distance away. And, apparently Zach had figured out his ploy, because he and Corporal Delkus pulled up and got out of the jeep right as Joel was exiting the tent.</p>
<p>He could hear Captain Isaac telling him to stay where he was, that they would come to him. Zach had made it to the front of the ring of people surrounding him, and was staring at him. Reproach and hurt obvious in his face.</p>
<p>It was the sound of a horse running that caught his attention. Of all the sounds around him, that was the one that took him by surprise. And he couldn’t help turning to watch it.</p>
<p>It was as he was turning back that his hand slipped. Not much. But just enough.</p>
<p>If there’s anything good about dying from being at ground zero of a mortar blast, it’s that it’s quick. One second you’re here. The next you’re gone. At least there wasn’t any pain.</p>
<p>
  <b>~Into The Light~</b>
</p>
<p>He was gone. And yet, he wasn’t. He watched as the ambulances came. Watched as they loaded Marcel into one, and what was left of him into the other. Watched as Zach tried to hold it together long enough to get Marcel to the hospital so that they could put him back together. Watched as Zach started to list the casualties. Watched as Maggie asked where he was. Watched as she broke down.</p>
<p>He wondered at her being there, working, while still in the clothes she wore to take her boards. Wondered if Alex was there, too. If he would at least be allowed to say some kind of goodbye to her, even if she didn’t know it. Wished there was some way to tell her how ready he had been to be with her forever. How much he loved her. How much he had wanted to be a family with her and the baby.</p>
<p>The baby. He was never going to see the baby, now. Never going to know for sure if it was his. It didn’t matter. It never really did. But, he had always wanted it. And now, he hoped. Hoped that some part of him had survived.</p>
<p>He wandered the hospital. Not sure where he was going, or what he was doing. And he watched. Watched as the news of his death spread. Watched as his colleagues, his friends, all tried to hold themselves together. To keep doing their jobs. Because this was a hospital, and they had lives depending on them. And there was nothing they could do for him, now.</p>
<p>And then he found her. Alex. The woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He just never imagined that the rest of his life would end up being so short. She was telling Maggie a story. And even though he knew that they couldn’t see him, he stood outside the door, and listened. He knew that listening to the story was just the excuse he was giving himself. He was afraid to go in there. To see her. To be forced to say goodbye. Because he knew that saying goodbye to her was what he was waiting for. And once that was done, he really would be gone. And he wasn’t ready.</p>
<p>So, he stood outside, and he listened as she told her side of the story of how they met. “So… I went back down to get my bike to ride it home and… there was this other med student there, trying to steal my bike. It was Luke’s old ten-speed. And, you know, he couldn’t get the lock off, you know? So I-I-I asked him, ‘why are you trying to steal my bike?’ And he said ‘Joel Goran paid me to do it.’ I didn’t know Joel Goran. And so, I looked him up, and he was cute. And so I pretended… that my bike was stolen so that he’d give me a ride home.”</p>
<p>That little minx. He had to laugh a little, though.</p>
<p>“So Joel. Arrogant, and obvious, and so swee—— sweet.”</p>
<p>“So passionate.” She paused for a minute, getting herself together again. “That’s how we met.”</p>
<p>He couldn’t put it off any longer. He walked into the room. Looked over at where Maggie was holding the baby——his baby. He didn’t know if Alex and Charlie would ever bother to find out, now. But, he knew. This wasn’t hope, anymore. He could feel it. That was his son in Maggie’s arms. He wanted to go over to him, to get a better look. But, just as he couldn’t bring himself to walk into this room to say goodbye to Alex, before——he couldn’t bring himself to walk over to where Maggie was sitting to say goodbye to his son, now.</p>
<p>So, he instead walked to Alex’s side. Kissed her temple and rested his head on hers for a minute. She couldn’t feel him, didn’t know he was there. But, the way her breath hitched, he let himself believe that maybe a part of her did. That a part of her sensed him there, and was taking some small comfort from it. He made himself turn and walk out of the room.</p>
<p>Except, just as he got to the door, Charlie walked in. And he knew, could see it on his face. Charlie could see him. That was how he could do the miraculous things he could do. How he knew the things he couldn’t possibly know. Charlie Harris could see ghosts.</p>
<p>“Take care of them.” He didn’t know what else to say. There was nothing left to do, now but trust that Charlie would take care of Alex and the baby for him. He didn’t wait for a response, knowing that Charlie really couldn’t give him one with Alex and Maggie in the room. This time, nothing stopped him as he walked out of the room.</p>
<p>
  <b>~Into The Light~</b>
</p>
<p>He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t to keep wandering the hospital. He found Zach, again. Locked in an on-call room, crying his eyes out. And apologizing. To him.</p>
<p>Even though he knew it wouldn’t do any good, he knelt in front of him. “It’s not your fault, mate. This was on me. You need to get out of here. Go home, Zach. Better yet, go to your ex-wife’s. Hug your boys.”</p>
<p>He couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t keep watching this. Part of him thought that he should. That he should see what his arrogance and deception had cost. But, Zach was alive. Someday, he would forgive himself for whatever he was apologizing for. Joel could only hope that when that day came, he could also forgive him for making him watch him die.</p>
<p>He started wandering again. He wasn’t sure how long it was. Apparently a while. Because when he found himself back in the maternity ward, looking into the nursery, he saw him. His son. Oh, he probably wouldn’t have recognized him, but he saw the nametag. Luke Reid. He smiled at that. She had named him after her brother. He approved. Though, he had a feeling the last name would be changing, soon.</p>
<p>Luke started crying, then. And Joel walked into the nursery to stand next to his bassinet. “Shh… it’s okay. Daddy’s here.” To his surprise, the baby stopped crying at that. And looked towards him. His eyes were still unfocused, he probably couldn’t really see him, but he seemed to know that he was there.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Babies can see us. Babies and——”</p>
<p>“And Charlie Harris.” He turned around to see his son’s namesake standing in front of him. “Hello, Luke. It’s good to see you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. You too.” Luke came over and hugged him. “Though, I really wish we had gone another sixty years or so before we saw each other. I’m so sorry, Joel.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well. I had it a bit easier than you did. At least my death was quick.”</p>
<p>“You had a lot more to live for, though.” He nodded towards the bassinet.</p>
<p>Joel turned and smiled at the baby. “I made that. Alex and I. We made that.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. You did. Congratulations, Daddy.”</p>
<p>He broke down, then. “I can’t even hold him, Luke. He can hear me, see me. But, he’ll never know me. I spent Alex’s entire pregnancy hoping that he would turn out to be mine. And now that I know that he is, I can’t do anything about it.”</p>
<p>“I know. But, we need to go, now.”</p>
<p>“I can’t leave him.”</p>
<p>“You have to, Joel. You have to trust Charlie, now. Trust that he’ll love him and take care of him. I personally don’t like the guy much. I was always team Joel and hoping you and my sister would find your way back to each other. But, I do think he’ll be good to Little Luke, here. You have to move on. Come on. It’s really not so bad.”</p>
<p>“Give me… give me just a minute.” He leaned over the bassinet, memorizing his son’s tiny face. “Goodbye, Luke. I know you won’t remember this. You won’t remember me. I hope your mom tells you about me, someday. You have a good mom, though. She’s smart, and beautiful, and she loves you, so much. You’re going to have a good life. I just wish I could have been there for it. I love you. Daddy loves you.” He leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Be good.”</p>
<p>He turned back to the man he had hoped would one day be his brother-in-law. “I’m ready. Or, at least, as ready as I’ll ever be.” Because if he didn’t leave now, he never would.</p>
<p>Luke nodded and turned around.</p>
<p>There was a flash of white light, and this time, he really was gone.</p>
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